In Direct Path Loading, Oracle will not use SQL INSERT statement for loading rows. It directly writes the rows, into fresh blocks beyond High Water Mark, in datafiles i.e. it does not scan for free blocks before high water mark. Direct Path load is very fast because Partial blocks are not used, so no reads are needed to find them, and fewer writes are performed. SQL*Loader need not execute any SQL INSERT statements; therefore, the processing load on the Oracle database is reduced. A direct path load calls on Oracle to lock tables and indexes at the start of the load and releases them when the load is finished. During a direct path load, processes perform their own write I/O, instead of using Oracle's buffer cache. This minimizes contention with other Oracle users.